Electromagnetic impulse counter



July 21, 1959 u. HUBNER 2,896,191

ELECTROMAGNETIC IMPULSE COUNTER Filed June 23. 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 10a mvamoR m u. Hum/50R I A BY wide K Fig. 7C

ATTORNEY July 21, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23. 1954 \NVENTOR U. HUBNE R A U W0 ATTORNEY Fig. 2C

July 21, 1959 u. HUBNER 2,896,191

ELECTROMAGNETIC IMPULSE COUNTER Filed June 23. 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

United States Patent ELECTROMAGNETIC IMPULSE COUNTER Udo Hiibner, Stuttgart-Zufienhausen, Germany, assignor to International Standard [Electric Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 23, 1954, Serial No. 438,713 Claims priority, application Germany July 1, 1953 Claims. (Cl. 340-168) This invention relates to electromagnetic impulse counters of the type useful, for instance, in communication systems wherein dialing impulses are stored thereon.

Prior counters have been proposed which have a single magnet coil and a plurality of counting armatures which equal in number the pulses to be stored. The counting armatures are placed side-by-side and are continually operated by the received impulses and thereby control contact springs allocated to each armature. These armatures are disposed between the pole which serves to attract them and an additional resetting pole which is adapted to withdraw them from the original pole so that the counting armatures may be actuated in succession by a single magnet system common to all of them. The armatures not actuated are kept attracted to the resetting pole. During the interpulse pause the unactua-ted armatures are withdrawn from the resetting pole and are brought into a position between the resetting and the attracting pole. This mid-position is such that the received impulses cause the attracting pole to generate sufiicient flux to cause the required counting armature to move toward the attracting pole. The armature so moved tensions a control spring for the next successive armature. By means of the control spring, the next successive armature will, in turn, be brought into its midposition during the next interpulse pause. The counting armatures actuated are maintained in their working position due to the magnetic remanence and will remain in such position until the counter flux is produced by the resetting coil. Thus, the number of actuated counting armatures corresponds to the number of received pulses. This fact, however, is sometimes undesirable.

This invention is an improvements o"er the prior devices of this type and provides for the release of all but the ultimate counting armature corresponding to the number of pulses received. It is an object of the invention therefore, to provide a multi-armature impulse counter wherein only a single counting armature is actuated at one given time, the progression being dependent upon the number of pulses received.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an electromagnetic impulse counter having an auxiliary pulse operated magnet operable in response to the received pulses, and which shall act on resilient interponent members disposed between the respective counting armatures and the auxiliary magnet armature, which auxiliary armature is common to all of said interponent members.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an impulse counter having a preliminary tensioned interponent member whose free end is in engagement with one of the teeth of a fixedly mounted serrated guide bar and which, after the counting armature has been attracted to the electromagnet, assumes a position behind the interponent member for the counting armature next in succession.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawing showing two embodiments of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1A is a bottom plan view of my improved electromagnetic impulse counter;

Fig. 1B is a side view of the counter shown in Fig. 1A;

Fig. 1C is a front view of the counter shown in Figs. 1A and 1B;

Fig. 1D is a detail of the magnetic yoke of the counter shown in Figs. 1A, 1B and 1C;

Fig. IE is a bottom view of the resetting member of the counter shown in Figs. 1AD;

Fig. 1F is an end view of the resetting member show ing its cooperation with the interponent members;

Fig. 1G is an isometric view of a portion of the breakcontact operating mechanism;

Fig. 2A is a bottom view of a modified view of my invention;

Fig. 2B is a side view of the structure shown in Fig. 2A;

Fig. 2C is a front view of the structure shownin Figs. 2A and 2B; and i Fig. 2D is a detail of the magnetic yoke of the structure shown in Figs. 2A, 2B and 2C.

Referring now to Figs. 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D, the impulse counter comprises an impulse coil Winding 1 attached to a magnetic yoke 2 and with which yoke a plurality of separate counting armatures 3 are suspended over knife edges 2a in said yoke. The holding device 16 serves the rotary-movable staying of the individual counting armatures, in that the latter are maintained by said holding device 16 against the edges 2a of the yoke 2. The holding device 16 extends over all of the counting armatures Zia-3 and is mounted to the side of the yoke 2 by means of screws 16a. As shown in Fig. 1D the yoke 2 is provided with an edge having ten (10) juxtaposed rectangular slots 2a. Associated with each counting armature 3 there is provided a contact spring set 4. The yoke 2 and the spring sets 4 are mounted to a bottom plate 17 which is Z-shaped. Extending through the winding 1 is the magnetic core 18. The magnetic core and yoke are affixed to the bottom plate 17 by means of screw 20 which passes through one of the vertical surfaces of the plate 17. The spring sets 4 are mounted on the short horizontal surface of the bottom plate 17 by means of screws 4b being appropriately insulated therefrom by insulated blocks 4c. The short vertical surface of plate 17 is provided with a pair of apertures 17a through which suitable bolts are to be inserted for the purpose of mounting the counter to a frame (not shown). Adjacent each armature 3 there is provided a resilient interponent member 5 and which members are mounted on a top strip of insulating material 6. The strip 6 is supported by turned-over portions 7a of serrated guide bar 7 which is formed in the shape of a C. The bottom portion of the guide bar 7 is attached through mounting block 7b to the bottom plate 17 by suitable fastening means (not shown). It will be noted that there are eleven (11); interponent members 511 5k While there are only ten (10) counting armatures 3a 3 p The interponent members are tensioned as shown in Fig. 1C and are held in the position shown by means of the flat portions of the teeth 70 in the serrated guide bar 7. It will be further noted in Fig. 1A that the first interponent member 5a rests in a special recess in the first tooth of the bar 7 and is not in the same plane as the the auxiliary magnet 9 together with its armature 8, which armature extends transversely of all of the interponent members 5k. The auxiliary armature 8 is adapted to pivot upon energization of the auxiliary magnet 9 in the direction of the interponent members 5. Since the first interponent member 5a is closer to the auxiliary armature 8 by reason of the fact that it is not in the line with the balance of the members 5, the armature 8 will strike the interponent member 5a first. This will result in the dislodgement of the member 5a and by reason of its preliminary tension it will slide down the angular surface of the first tooth of bar '7 and will assume the position behind the member 5b as shown in dotted line in Fig. 1A. It will now be apparent that when auxiliary armature 8 is again moved toward the members 5, the edge of the armature 8 will first strike interponent member 5a, the force will be transmitted to interponent member 5b and both members 5a and 512 will move to the right and will urge counting armature 3a toward the core 18. The impulse coil winding 1 is energized by the received impulses simultaneously with the auxiliary magnet 9. Core 18 will retain armature 3a and upon the deenergization of auxiliary magnet 9, auxiliary armature 8 will retract and because the frictional contact existing between 5b and member 5a, on one side, and between member 512 and armature 3a on the other, is relieved, the interponent member 5b will slip over the slanted portion of the second tooth of bar 7 and assume a position behind interponent member 50. Upon receipt of the next impulse, windings 1 and 9 will again be energized and will result in the reoperation of the auxiliary armature 8, the second counting armature 3b will be urged toward the pole piece 18. Ultimately, each of the interponent members 5 will be displaced into the adjacent teeth and means must be provided for resetting the members 5 to their original positions. In order to achieve this resetting I provide a resetting magnet 10 having a cooperating armature 10a which is linked to the resetting member 11, as clearly shown in Fig. 1E. The resetting member 11 is provided with a slotted edge similar to the yoke 2 and within which slots different ones of the interponent members 5 are to rest. As the member 11 is moved upwardly, the bottom portion of each slot will urge the members 5 upwardly (shown in Figs. 1A and 1C) until the members are again engaged by the flat portions of the teeth of guide bar 7 and the member 5a is engaged in the special recess provided for it on the first tooth of bar 7. The resetting member 11 is provided on its one edge with the teeth Ila-11k, similar to the yoke 2. Adjacent teeth in the member 11 are staggered so that alternate teeth 11a, 11c, 11c, 11g, and 111' extend outwardly in a first plane and intervening teeth 11b, 11d, 11 11k and 11k extend outwardly in a second plane. These two planes will be seen in Fig. 1F and correspond to the planes of the V-shaped portions of the interponent members 5, alternate of such members having the V-shaped portions in similar planes as shown in Fig. 1B. Thus, the corresponding tooth of the resetting member 11 will only come to lie behind the angled-01f portion of its associated interponent member 5 when this member 5 is not in a tensioned condition, viz. when it has been operated prior thereto. In the showing in Fig. IE it is assumed that the last impulse had caused a movement of the interponent member 5d so that it will come to lie behind the interponent member 5e. If the resetting member 11, by the operation of the resetting magnet 10, is moved in the direction as indicated by the arrow, then only the interponent members 5a-5d will be engaged at their angled portions by the corresponding teeth Ila-11d, while the teeth 11e-11k slide past the angled-off portions of the interponent members 5e-5k, because they are arranged on a diiferent level as shown in Fig. 1F. The interponent members 5a-5d will be preliminarily tensioned anew and brought into the position as shown in Figs. lA-lC. The resetting member 11 is firmly linked to the cooperating armature 10a of the. magnet 10 at an acute angle. The

resetting magnet 10 is arranged in an inclined position toward the interponent members, so that the resetting member 11 dislodges the interponent members 5 slantingly forward.

I further provide a pair of break contacts 12 which contacts extend from the insulating strip 6. Lug 13 attached to the auxiliary armature 8 is adapted to cooperate with an insulating strip 19 which extends through an aperture 191) in the lefthand spring of the set 12 and which is adapted to urge the righthand spring of the set 12 in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 1B) when the auxiliary armature moves. In the operation of the dea vice when the first impulse is applied, the contacts of the spring set 12 open and remain open for indicating the busy condition of the counting device during the whole period of the receipt of the impulse train until the last of the armatures 3 corresponding to the last pulse of the train is dropped. Strip 19 is provided with a slotted portion 15 on the righthand side of the righthand contact of the spring set 12. The details of the strip 19 and its cooperation with contacts 12 can best be seen in Fig. 1G. To the right of the slot 15 there is provided a tapered end portion of the strip 19 indicated at 19a and over which tapered portion a retaining spring 14 is adapted to ride when the strip 19 is urged in the counter clockwise direction. The spring 14 will then seat in the slot 15 and retain the strip 19 in its actuated position thereby maintaining the contact set 12 open. The spring 14 is anchored at one end to the insulating strip 6 as clearly shown in Fig. 1B. The end of spring 14 which cooperates with the strip 19 extends through a slot 7d which is made in guide bar 7. The resetting member 11 is provided with a complementary lug 11! the upper surface of which is adapted to urge the spring 14 up wardly (Fig. 1E) upon actuation of the reset magnet 10 and out of the slot 15 in the insulating strip 19 thereby permitting the contact set 12 to reclose (Fig. 1A).

The impulse counter is released by a short impulse that causes the reset magnet 10 to respond.

The position of the contact spring set 12 marks engagement of the impulse counter. It will be noted that the actuation of the counting armatures is such that only one armature 3a 3j will be operated at any particular time, the operated armature corresponding to the number of pulses that have been stored.

Fig. 2 represents a modification of the device shown in Fig. 1 the chief difierence being in the configuration of the interponent members shown in Fig. 2 as 5'. The ends of the members 5' are curved so that the configuration of the members is in the shape of a J. Again the member 5'a lies in a plane parallel to the balance of the members 5b and is adapted to be moved by the auxiliary armature 8 upon the receipt of the initial impulse of the auxiliary magnet 9. The short portion of the member 5'a assumes a position behind the long portion of the adjacent member S'b as shown in dotted line in Fig. 2D so that the next movement of auxiliary armature 8 will move both members S'a and S'b into contact with a first counting armature 3a. The principal advantage to be gained by the J-type construction of the embodiment represented in Figs. 2A 2D, is in the fact that the members 5' need not travel but a short distance downwardly in order to make contact with the adjacent interponent member; the spacing between the free end of the J being very close to the long portion of the J of the adjacent member 5. An examination of the spacing between the operating portions of the interponent members in Figs. 1C and 2C will show the relative distances which must be traveled by the interponent members in the respective embodiments. Identical resetting means are provided for the members 5' and the operation of the modification is otherwise identical with the structure shown in Figs. 1A 1D.

While I have described above the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic impulse counting device comprising a first auxiliary electromagnet and cooperating armature, a second electromagnet, a plurality of counting armatures adapted to selectively cooperate with said second electromagnet upon the receipt of impulses applied to said electromagnets, a plurality of interponent members, there being one more than the number of said counting armatures, different ones of said interponent members disposed between different ones of said counting armatures and the armature associated with said auxiliary electromagnet, fixed means for retaining all said interponent members in an initial position, means including the armature associated with said auxiliary electromagnet operable in response to a first impulse for dislodging a first interponent member from its initial position with respect to said retaining. means and for positioning said dislodged member in motion-transmitting relation to its adjacent interponent member, both said members adapted to be urged by the armature associated with said auxiliary electromagnet into contiguity and against the counting armature associated with said adjacent interponent member, means for successively dislodging adjacent interponent members for positioning same in motion-transmitting relation to adjacent successive interponent members, and resetting means for restoring said dislodged interponent members to original position upon conclusion of an impulse count.

2. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said interponent members comprise a resilient element having one end fixed, and wherein said means for retaining said interponent members comprises a serrated guide bar, each serration adapted to retain the free end of one of said interponent members against its tension.

3. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a mounting plate, said first electromagnet and said second electro-magnet each mounted to said mounting plate at right angles to 6 the other, a plurality of sets of spring contacts, each set associated with a different one of said counting armatures, said contact sets mounted on said mounting plate.

4. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an insulating strip, said interponent members having an end afiixed to said strip, and means for fastening said strip to said mounting plate.

5. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a set of control contacts, said contacts having an end affixed to said insulating strip, means coupled to said contacts for actuating said contacts upon movement of said auxiliary armature, and resilient latching means affixed to said insulating strip for locking said contacts in actuated position for the duration of a count of impulses by said device.

6. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said latching means is co operatively associated with said resetting means, said latching means adapted to release said control contacts upon the completion of the pulse count.

7. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said guide bar extends transversely of and adjacent to said counting armatures.

8. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said guide bar is provided with a retaining portion for retaining said first interponent member in a position closer to said auxiliary armature than the balance of said interponent members.

9. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interponent members have a thickened end adapted to cooperate with adjacent interponent members and associated counting armatures.

10. An electromagnetic impulse counting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said interponent members are J-shaped, the short leg of each member adapted to cooperate with the long leg of the contiguous member.

Harrison Nov. 2, 1948 Bellamy Dec. 14, 1948 

